Pre-Columbian Sound-Producing Artifacts from Escuintla
Dr. Matthias Stöckli
Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
Centro de Estudios Folklóricos, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

A sample of whistels from various archaeological sites in Escuintla.

I am studying a sample of sound-producing artifacts from various archaeological sties in the department of Escuintla, on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala. The artifacts were found in excavations directed by Dr. Frederick J. Bove and Dr. Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos. The project aims to develop an inventory as a first step, and then a typology of these artifacts. An organological study provides a basis to define the morphological and acoustic properties of the artifacts, the types of devices that allowed (or still allows) the production of sounds, and the type of figural representation, since all the artifacts in the sample have the double character of figurines and sound-producing instruments. Finally, the archaeological contexts and the types of representation may provide indications on their possible users, their contexts of use and their functions.

Matthias Stöckli
mwmstoeckli@gmx.ch

Musicologist and ethnomusicologist from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He lives currently in Guatemala, and teaches at the Universities of Del Valle and Rafael Landívar. He has conducted research in Guatemala for more than 10 years, on various aspects of contemporary indigenous musical culture. In recent years, he has also undertaken research on the musical practices of the pre-Columbian Maya, working, among others, with sound-producing artifacts excavated by the Piedras Negras Archaeological Project (directed by Héctor L. Escobedo and Stephen D, Houston) and the Aguateca Archaeological Project (directed by Takeshi Inomata, Daniela Triadan y Erick Ponciano).